The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-04-20
THE LIQUORS WE DRINK.
Decrease in the ConsuT otion of
Distilled Liquors.

NAsHINeToN. April is.-TwentN or more
pages Of the quarterly report Of the chief Of
the Bureau Of Statistics gust out are devoted
To the consumption Of distilled and mali
liquors aud wines and estimates made by
recognized authorities are given upon yari-
/ ous features of tAis subject. In round NUM-
bers the consumption of distilled spirits, do
usestic and imported, in this country, i
shown 10 have increased from 43.o000oo gal
Ions ia ls40. to 100000 in 1855 ofwines,
/ from !, ,s0oo0p gallons 10 220o0o1U aud Of
malt iiquos from 23.ooo.o00 to 6I20aooo.
The consumption per capita during The
/ same period decreased n regards distilled
/ spirits from about two and a half gallons 10
I about one and half gallons and increas ed
a. regards wines from twenty y-uine hum
dredths 10 thirty-eight hundredfhs gallons
and malt liquors from less than one and a
( half 10 more than IL gallons.
/ An elaborate statement made by F. \.
Barrett, editor OF the New York Groeey. by
request Of the chief Of the bureau is given,
/ which sets forth, among other things. that
/ the present average expenditure in this coun-
! try perannum for malt and spirituous liquors
aud beer at retail is s70o0O0.G1o The drink
/ ing population Is estimated to be in 1856 H.
s2o4l7 making the average expenditure
per capita SO 81 Mr. Barrett Shows by ia
/ hle> covering the five years from iSS2to 1856
inclusive. that consumption OF spirits Is de-
+ creasing while that Of beer in increasing aud
that there is a reduced use of wine as a hev-
+ crage. During this period, he says, " the
[ consumption of the coffee has risen from 5
2-lo pounds per capita 10 . li-l0o pounds.
. Dc rot these facts show that the milder
( stimuiantS-lre driving ont their fiery COM
. pgti;or>2 And Is it not due 10 the growing
agitation of the temperance movement.
/ Mr. Barrett says the wholesale cost of the
/ liquors for which the retailers receive S7Go, p
01o,0pp is no, more than sjoj0Jo0,0. He
/ makes brief calculation Of the cost of
! liquors compared with that OF food clothing
/ and shelter. reaching the conclusion that the
American people expeud from Sl2 to sl7 for
( the "nec,ssarie,' named Ia every dollar paid
ont for liquor
James A. Webb. Of New York furnishes "a
statement 10 the effect that only 10 per cent.
Of the distilled rprit> consumed in this coUn-
. try are used for medicine and manufacturing
purposes 80 per cent being used as bev-
erage
From table covering the five years end
ing with 1883, it is learned that the con-
sumption of distilled spirits per capita mas
steadily increased in France from ninety
four hundredths gallons ,o one and thiriy-
two hundredths that ii has varied IN this
country between one and iorty->ix one hun
dreith in lSs5 and one and twenty-lour
hundreith- gallons in 1881 and lsS5; thar
the United Kingdom consumes little more
than gallon per cllla,a, and that the con
sumption IN Germany has decreased from
32-l0t m 1881 tol 1900 in lSsG. France.
during The same period increased her wine
consumption from Is! TO nearly 81 gallons
whiie this country and the United Kingdom
beginning with less thau half a gallon "a
bead show Slight falling Oft
Ia the matter of beer consumption during
this period. the United States increased her
average from little les than ten To little
more than eleven GALLONS; The United
Kingdom held her own at about 33 gallons
and Germany did the same at about y gal
LON.